A new points-based immigration proposal by the Government has dominated opinion pages and columns in the media.

It has sparked a range of views with questions being asked how workforces in certain industry sectors will be affected.

The Guardian

Tom Kibasi in his column says the Conservatives’ immigration plan puts ideology before economics.

"The government’s new immigration plan, which aims to move away from relying on influxes of cheap labour by closing Britain’s borders to “non-skilled” workers, is based on a flawed understanding of how the economy works. It reveals the risks of privileging ideology over economics, the hallmark of Conservative governments since the 1970s.

"The government argues that by deliberately creating shortages of workers, wages will rise as firms compete for scarce labour. In turn, this will provide an incentive for firms to upskill their workers and to substitute more labour for capital, thus raising productivity."

He goes on to say: "The idea underpinning the government’s plan is that wages have been held down – they have only just barely returned to their pre-crisis March 2008 peak – because there are too many workers chasing too few jobs as a result of EU freedom of movement. But this completely ignores the realities of the modern labour market. The problem is not the intensity of competition between workers for jobs, but the excessive power of employers and the weak position of workers in Britain."

The Times

Its editorial says the Government's new controls on EU workers should make Britain think more deeply about trainings its young generation.

The paper said: "For too long businesses have expanded on the basis of cheap labour made available by membership of the single market and the European Union's commitment to freedom of movement. That has over time diverted them from vital long-term investment in training and automated production. The result: Britain has a chronic productivity problem. And while the youth unemployment level is, at 11.7 per cent, lower than in Spain and Italy, it is significantly higher than in Germany, which has an excellent record of bringing the young into the workplace through apprenticeships.

"Our spending on workforce training has fallen by 20 per cent since 2004, when Britain opened its doors to migrant workers from central and eastern Europe.

"The UK has some 800,000 "neets" - young people who are not in any form of education, employment, or training.

"The home secretary, Priti Patel, thus represents the plan as an act of social transformation."

The Daily Telegraph

Matthew Lynn in his column says reforming migration will boost the economy.

He said: "Curbing low-skilled immigration can change the economy for the better. Why? Because it will force the economy into higher-productivity, higher-wage industries.

"Just take a look at the evidence from the places where it has been tried. According to the OECD data, each of the main countries with a points system has done significantly better than the UK at increasing output per worker."

He added: "True, it will be disruptive getting there. The Government needs to be upfront about that. It has a secure majority for the next five years and can afford to be blunt about the choices it is making. In the medium term, however, it will be an improvement - and will set the UK on the path to a wealthier future."

The Scotsman

The paper's editorial looks at how flags seem to be in the news a lot more these days.

It said: "Unionists complain Nationalists are pinching the Saltire as their own symbol, while there was a bit of a stooshie over whether the European flat could still be flown outside the Scottish Parliament after Brexit (which it apparently can, partly because it's also the flag of the Council of Europe and we're still members of that).

"Soon the Isle of Skye will have its first-ever flag, joining a number of places with a newly acquired standard. Where will it all end?

"Should we each have our own personal flag, designed in strict accordance to the rules of heraldry?There's nothing much wrong with a colourful piece of cloth to wave in celebration of the place you are from, or live in, or just visited once. But let's not return to the bad old days when flags were symbols to fight and even die for."